Windsor students enter 3D printing company in national pitch competition
'We want people to think of us first when they think of Canadian 3D printing'
Two Windsor high school students are hoping their ability to bring people's ideas to life through 3D printing will be enough to win big in a national competition.
Ben Arquette and Liam Gleason are Grade 12 students at Assumption College Catholic High School. The pair have entered a nationwide contest called "Make Your Pitch" for young entrepreneurs.
Their goal is to be among the 20 finalists who will get a chance to pitch their company to a panel of expert judges in Toronto next month.
"We're a technology 3D printing company and so we 3D print people's ideas and bring them to life," 17-year-old Arquette told Windsor Morning host Tony Doucette.
The pair do work for their company almost every day and has seen a sharp increase in orders since they produced their pitch video, including a new 3D print for the Ecole E.J. Lajeunesse Robotics team.
Pair paid for printer with part-time jobs
18-year-old Gleason says they pooled their money to buy their first semi-professional 3D printer for about $1,000.
"That was one of the reasons why we decided to partner up together," he explained. "We thought that splitting the costs between us would be an easier way to get going."
Arquette said the two are funding their venture through part-time jobs.They admit they don't have much experience running a business, so they're learning as they go.
"Another difficult part was marketing, telling people that we exist," said Gleason.
The pair wants Printable Canada to be "the go-to Canadian printing company. We want people to think of us first when they think of Canadian 3D printing."
Voting at makeyourpitch.ca closes on April 20.